Review of Memoir of a Deserter
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Aida Nuria Montenegro Jerez
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- Latest Review: Memoir of a Deserter by Thomas Foster
Review of Memoir of a Deserter
[Following is a volunteer review of "Memoir of a Deserter" by Thomas Foster.]
The United States is a country where defense is truly important, both politically and socially speaking; therefore, many young men and women enlist in the various branches assigned to that purpose. This is the case of Thomas Foster, protagonist and author of this interesting book, "Memoir of a Deserter," in which we follow the part of his life that focuses on his time in the Army as well as his later desertion.
The first thing I'd like to say about this memoir is that I love how the author describes his life as army personnel, detailing almost every detail, even from the training prior to beginning his profession. Very few soldiers do this, much less veterans, not to mention deserters, and I really appreciate that someone finally explains how they work and how these men and women feel while fulfilling the duty that morality has imposed on them. However, while I think it's wonderful that he expands on these aspects, I don't like that he also does so with regard to other, less important aspects of his life, or those that shouldn't be shared so openly, such as his sexual history and certain descriptions of it, which leads to a somewhat slow and repetitive story.
The second thing worth mentioning is the fact that he usually explains things as they happened, without embellishing them to look good to readers (as many others do when writing their memoirs), which makes the text seem professional and serious. Although, at times, as with many stories from the early youth of the author, the reader may get angry when reading about certain behaviors he exhibits toward his partners, friends, family, and people in his life, which demonstrate a certain degree of immaturity and hypocrisy.
Then, continuing with the content of the book, but focusing on some more negative and subjective aspects, I must say that I didn't like the way the protagonist of this memoir looked for God, as he chose a type of religion even before reading the sacred texts of the options that most interested him. I also didn't like the fact that, at the beginning of his faith, he remembered God and prayed with his friends when they met to get high. Although at first it may seem like a nice thing to do when we find ourselves in that situation, we must remember the respect we owe Him and those who dedicate their faith to Him and understand that it is not at all respectful to pray to Him after smoking marijuana.
Finally, I'd like to say that the editing done on the first pages of the book seems really good, but soon after, it starts to leave much to be desired. This last thing makes me think the editor left the work half-finished until just before delivery, something that is highly unprofessional and that makes it a poor edition, with grammatical, punctuation, and typographical errors that are repeated throughout the text.
So, considering the objective aspects of this review, as well as how much I enjoyed reading the book to which I dedicate it, I'd like to give it four out of five stars and recommend a better edition so that, some day, those four stars could become five.
******
Memoir of a Deserter
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The United States is a country where defense is truly important, both politically and socially speaking; therefore, many young men and women enlist in the various branches assigned to that purpose. This is the case of Thomas Foster, protagonist and author of this interesting book, "Memoir of a Deserter," in which we follow the part of his life that focuses on his time in the Army as well as his later desertion.
The first thing I'd like to say about this memoir is that I love how the author describes his life as army personnel, detailing almost every detail, even from the training prior to beginning his profession. Very few soldiers do this, much less veterans, not to mention deserters, and I really appreciate that someone finally explains how they work and how these men and women feel while fulfilling the duty that morality has imposed on them. However, while I think it's wonderful that he expands on these aspects, I don't like that he also does so with regard to other, less important aspects of his life, or those that shouldn't be shared so openly, such as his sexual history and certain descriptions of it, which leads to a somewhat slow and repetitive story.
The second thing worth mentioning is the fact that he usually explains things as they happened, without embellishing them to look good to readers (as many others do when writing their memoirs), which makes the text seem professional and serious. Although, at times, as with many stories from the early youth of the author, the reader may get angry when reading about certain behaviors he exhibits toward his partners, friends, family, and people in his life, which demonstrate a certain degree of immaturity and hypocrisy.
Then, continuing with the content of the book, but focusing on some more negative and subjective aspects, I must say that I didn't like the way the protagonist of this memoir looked for God, as he chose a type of religion even before reading the sacred texts of the options that most interested him. I also didn't like the fact that, at the beginning of his faith, he remembered God and prayed with his friends when they met to get high. Although at first it may seem like a nice thing to do when we find ourselves in that situation, we must remember the respect we owe Him and those who dedicate their faith to Him and understand that it is not at all respectful to pray to Him after smoking marijuana.
Finally, I'd like to say that the editing done on the first pages of the book seems really good, but soon after, it starts to leave much to be desired. This last thing makes me think the editor left the work half-finished until just before delivery, something that is highly unprofessional and that makes it a poor edition, with grammatical, punctuation, and typographical errors that are repeated throughout the text.
So, considering the objective aspects of this review, as well as how much I enjoyed reading the book to which I dedicate it, I'd like to give it four out of five stars and recommend a better edition so that, some day, those four stars could become five.
******
Memoir of a Deserter
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Memoir of a Deserter by Thomas Foster
